Where Would Downton Abbey's Residents Take Tea?

Where Would Downton Abbey's Residents Take Tea?

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"Come along inside . . . we'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place." -- from The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame When we come to the end of time, whoever is still left standing might find themselves with a spare minute to tally up the triumphs and tragedies of human history. On the positive side of the ledger, I'm confident they [...]
Listen to Music that Inspired Deceptive Cadence

Listen to Music that Inspired Deceptive Cadence

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The late Irish rocker Rory Gallagher. Bollywood movie hits. Samuel Barber's violin concerto. What could these things possibly have in common? Once a week, critically acclaimed novelist Roz Morris hosts a fantastic blog called "Undercover Soundtrack" in which she  invites writers to describe how music influences their creative process. I was delighted to be [...]
A Garage Sale Memoir

A Garage Sale Memoir

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I'm afraid I'm heading for a Grey Gardens sort of future. Why? Because I live in a big, old house. A house my family has owned for 80+ years. We’ve decided it is, in fact, too big and too old for us, now. Too hard to clean, to maintain, to heat. Too much that needs updating (knob-and-tube wiring, anyone?). We’ve decided it’s time to look for something small[...]
Watch: The Emigrant Irish

Watch: The Emigrant Irish

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When I think of the recitation of poetry, I think of Garrison Keillor--and not in a good way, I'm afraid. But it doesn't have to be that way. While building my Pinterest board for Deceptive Cadence, I found this video, featuring the Irish actor Fionnula Flanagan reciting a piece called "The Emigrant Irish" by Dublin-born poet Eavan Boland. If you want to ex[...]